Textile mechanism



Patented Dec. 19,1933

Edward J.

TE OF CE;

Abbott Machine Company; Wilton, N. BL, a

corporation of New Hampshire.

Application July 3; 1931. Serial No. 548,494 2 Claims. (or 28-35 This invention relates to creels adapted to hold a plurality of textile strand masses and to supply the strands therefrom to any suitable winding or strand-using device, such for example, as a warper. My copending application se rial No. 548,491, filed on the same day as this application, discloses a creel having means for .automatically holding the many. strandsin the" creel at points adjacent to their supply masses when the strands are stopped, and for automatically releasing the strands as the latter start v to unwind. As a result,'the strands, are held against sagging or entanglement when the operator reaches in among the strands in threading the pensate for deficiency infballoon effect occur-' ringv at less than full speed. As is well known, a strand rapidly being unwoundover theend, of a wound package will trace a figure of revolution (called a balloon) such that a considerable drag is set up due to air friction. This serves ade- At slower rates of unwinding, as instarting or stopping, the frictional resistance set up in this way is much less, and sometimes insufficient to provide the desired degree of tension in the strand; such deficiency in balloon effect is adequately compensated for by means of the device illustrated and described herein as a preferred form of this invention.

My invention also aims to provide simple, inexpensive and easily controlled mechanism for acting on each of the several strands in a creel to tension and/or clamp the many strands, and

the;line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing one strand of yarn running from its supply mass through the eye in one of the rotatable tension-control1ing bars which is shown as turned to a position wherein it applies practically. no tension to -the strand;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary section like Fig. 3 but 'showinggthe tension-controlling bar turned to a position wherein it affords-a material amount of frictional resistance to movement of the strand,

.this position corresponding to the dotted line positions of the controlling elements of Fig. 1;

and V v I i Fig. 5 isa fragmentaryside elevation of one of the tension-controlling bars of Fig. 1, showing this'bar in a position corresponding to that (of Fig. 3. j i Q I Since both sides or' halves of the creel may be similar, only one need be described, The holders for the unwinding supply masses M inf'the creel are preferably pins, spindles or, pegs 18, extends ing from spaced vertical angle irons 14 which are connected at their tops and bottoms by longitudinal members 15. The two; halves of the creel are suitably tied together bytransverse members such as areindicated at 16. Outside of the package-holders 18,;an outer frame is preferably provided .in the form of upper and lower longitudinal frame members 12 and 13,

@joined at suitabledistancesby vertical angle irons quately to tension-the strand in many instances.

11, and tied to the other frame elements of the creel by the transverse members 16.

The outer frame thus formed of members 11, 12 and 13 preferably serves to hold rotatable members adapted to guide and tension the;

strands being unwound from the several supply" masses M. As shown in Fig. 1, a verticalro- .tatable bar 30 is mounted in the upper and lower able guide eye in one or more outwardly projecting brackets 21. At the front ofthe creel,

I all of the strands or ends (including usually those from both sides of the creel) are collected into a sheet or web S by any suitable guiding means, such as a pair of rolls 23, 24 and suitable reed 25; this sheet or Web ashere shown runs onto a winding beam B of a warper W.

Referring now to Fig. 3, each guide eye 31;

100 r the strandruns from its supply mass to a suitthe detector device.

when its rotatable rod is in the position shown I therein, will allow the strand to run through Fig. 4, thus increasing the extent of its frictional contact therewith. It is to be noted that as the rod 30 is turned, the frictional drag exerted thereby on the strand is gradually varied from an almost negligible amount in the position of Fig. 3 to a very considerable amount in the position of Fig. 4.

For regulating the tension to be applied by the means just described, the device preferably in-' cludes controlling means operating thereon in such a way as to cause a gradual increase in tensioning action as the strands stop and a gradual decrease in tensioning action as the other strands start. Such controlling means preferably includes a detectorof starting and stopping of the sheet or web S leading from the creel, responsive to'tension in this sheet or web of ends, and connections from this detector to all of the rotatable rods 30 such that slack or diminution of tension in the web causes the rods to be turned to the relative position of Fig. 4, while increase in tension in the web causes the rods 30 to be turned to the non-tensioning position of Fig. 3.

As shown in Fig. 1, a suitable detector may comprise a bar 60 resting on the sheet of yarn and urged against the sheet by any suitable means such as its own weight, aided if desired by a weight 61. The opposite ends of the rod 60 maybe held in arms 63 which are fast on a rotatable shaft 64, suitably supported, and the weight 61 maybe adjustably held on another arm 66 also fast to this shaft 64.

The rotatable guiding and tensioning rods 30 are preferably provided at their tops with extensions in the form of cranks which are engaged by reciprocating rods extending along the top of the creel. The rods 50 associated with each half of the creel may be suitably articulated if necessary and each set is connected by a link 51, (hinged thereto at 51 )-to an arm 52, carried by a shaft 53. An arm 54 on this shaft is attached to a link 69 pivoted at its opposite end to a crank 67 which is fast on the shaft of The operation of the device will now be readily apparent. When the sheet S slows down its tautness or tension will decrease, allowing the rod to sink; the arm 67 and other connections described above move to the dotted line positions of Fig. l, causing the rods 30 to turn so as to reach the positions of Fig. 4 when the strands stop moving. In "this turning movement of the rods 30, their tensioning action with respect to each strand is gradually increased. In the reverse operation of starting unwinding, as the tension or tautness in the sheet S increases, the rod 60 rises, and the rods 30 are turned again to the position of Fig. 3, reaching this position by the time the strands are running at a speed sufiicient to cause effective ballooning action at the unwinding supply packages. Both increase and decrease in tensioning action of the rods 30 is gradual; this is deemed of particular advantage in handling fine yarns which should not be subjected to sudden stresses. 7

It should be understood that the present disclosure is for the purpose of illustration only and that this invention includes all modifications and equivalents which fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. A creel having therein means for holding a plurality of unwinding supply strand masses, tension means adapted to apply varying degrees of105 tension to each of the several strands at a point adjacent to its supply mass, means for collecting the unwinding strands into the form of a sheet or web, a tension detector acting on said sheet or web, and means acting in response to thel-IO detection by said detector of tension in said sheet or web for causing the tension means gradually to relieve the amount of tension applied thereby. 2. A creel having therein means for holding a plurality of unwinding supply strand masses, ten- 515 sion means adapted to apply varying degrees of tension to each of the several strands at a point adjacent to its supply mass, means for collecting the unwinding strands into the form of a sheet or web, a tension detector acting on said sheet 1' 20 or web, and means acting in response to the detection by said detector of diminution in tension in said sheet or web for causing the tension means to apply gradually increasing amounts of tension to the several strands. V

' EDWARD J. ABBCJTT.

use 

